Example of generated process website - with tooltips on each object to provide a quick overview. The above web page (including the tooltips) is fully generated from the process schema and process object data. (It represents a very basic project management process).

Fully generated activity page

Fully work product related generated web pages

Other fully generated web pages

Story Mapping: Story mapping is a Agile technique based on workshops and visual management used to clarify the project scope and to elicit Epics and Stories starting from narrative flows of high level tasks or from business processes.

For Agile users: electronic Story mapping (classic based on narrative flows or based on business processes)

Process repository

Objects of the repository are called process items. Some process items are mapped to graphical objects, allowing to store additional information used to fully describe the processes. The information (attributes and association) depend of object class. For instance for an activity, you can fill the description, the tailoring guidelines, the steps of the activity, the required work products, the produced work products, the roles involved.

Structure process items hierarchically, reorganize them by drag and drop

Share a same process item by several graphical objects in different views

Search in the repository by item name or by item identifier

Integrated HTML editor

Process web site generation

Generate a process website with great look and feel and easy access to the information

Dedicated generation by process item class

Choose to generate your process website in one or two languages

Generate tooltips to provide a quick overview to a process item

Parameterize the generation

Additional tools

Edit the website banner

Perform import and export

Execute an integrity checker

Why do you need to formalize processes?

Firstly, business processes are the operational implementation of the enterprise strategy in defining “how” the organization can executes efficiently its capabilities.

Secondly, defining method or business processes enables lasting and homogeneous practices to be used across your organization.

Thirdly, it allows the sharing of best practices and lessons learned across the organization, supporting continuous process improvement and achieving lasting process performance (In process performance we include the respect of quality, cost and deadline commitments but also process efficiency).

Fourthly, it allows process analysis: determining where inefficiencies lie, and detecting where processes can be optimized and/or automated.

And finally, it allows the consistent integration of process requirements from different standards.

Defining standard processes does not necessarily mean that practices cannot be tailored by users for a specific context (so that practices can be efficient in every context). In fact it depends on the kind of process you model: if you model manufacturing processes, you certainly do not want that process to be tailored, but if you model Agile processes, tailoring is crucial and the processes should only be a guideline.Eunomia Process Builder lets you define tailoring information.

Why do you need business process modeling and process website generation?

Of course, processes can be defined by a set of Word or PowerPoint documents, but using a business process modeling tool has many advantages.

Perhaps the most important point is that business process modeling provides users with easy access to information: information is structured and presented with a homogeneous look and feel. Processes can be read hierarchically from a high level overview to a high level of detail.

Using visual representation of processes (UML activity diagrams or BPMN collaboration diagrams) improves the readability of the processes and the ease of process definition.

Different process views can be generated for different needs without duplicating the source information. For instance if you model a Software Development Life Cycle, you can define views according to process area for training purposes (by process area we mean for instance project management, supplier management, configuration management, quality assurance, requirement development and management and software engineering…). But these process area processes are only views of the Software Development Life Cycle process that contains all the activities. In the case of less coupled processes, you can also design a view that presents the collaboration between the processes.

Process integrity and in a sense process completeness is also ensured. For instance, you will not forget to define the produced work products of a given activity.Web pages corresponding to different process classes are also generated consistently. For instance if you model an activity A with an out work product W and in which a role R is involved, the A activity web page will of course be generated with the W and R information, but the W work product page will also include activity A as the activity that creates/updates this work product, while the R role web page will also include activity A as an activity in which the role is involved.

The fact that no source information is duplicated and that the business process modeling tool provides a process integrity report facilitates the maintainability of the process repository, resulting in long-term cost-savings for the organization.

Key points for a successful process improvement program

There are many factors that lead to a successful process improvement program. For a method process (for instance for a software development process or a product design process), the following factors are particularly important (for a business process or a manufacturing process, other factors may be important):

- The process improvement sponsor should be at the right hierarchy level

- The new processes must take into account business goals, existing practices, and state of the art practices. They should be designed in collaboration with end users’ representatives or be designed solely by these representatives.

- Process tailoring guidelines must be included in the process repository so that processes are efficient in every context and for every team. Eunomia process Builder enables you to define tailoring guidelines at work product, activity and workflow levels.

- The process repository should provide easy access to information. Eunomia Process Builder is a business process modeling tool that has been specially designed to provide user friendly views. For instance Eunomia Process Builder generates a web page containing all the work product templates classified by domains and disciplines.Tooltips that give key information when the mouse is rolled over a process element are also greatly appreciated by end-users because they provide a quick overview of the key points without the need to open the corresponding web page.

- Institutionalization practices are also essential so that processes can be durable and remain efficient, and so that practices are retained during times of stress. There are several schools of thought on this subject:- if you are a CMMI supporter, quality assurance and measures are institutionalization practices and provides visibility of the performed processes performance. They allow the identification and implementation of process corrective actions, and provide information to improve the standard processes in the next improvement loop. - If you are an Agile supporter, the Scrum Master (Scrum method) keeps the team aligned with Agile values and the team’s self-organization is a key institutionalization practice. The method repository at organization level should only be a toolkit but each team can describe its own process!

As you see, choosing the right business process modeling tool is not the only success factor but it is a key point that can significantly influence the success of your process improvement program. Eunomia Process Builder is a good choice!

Testimonial

During field tests, Eunomia Process Builder has been used to design different kinds of processes:- Business processes- Software project development and software maintenance processes using the CMMI model.- Software project development using Agile principles (in this case the process repository is only a guide / a toolbox)- System design processesEach time, Eunomia Process Builder perfectly met the needs of the client, and the result was greatly appreciated by the Engineering Process Group and by the end-users.We also took into account the field test feedback in the 2.x release in order to provide a great Business Process Modeling tool!

Stéphane Déprès – ‘Eunomia Process’ Owner

I use and recommend "Eunomia Process Builder" for three main reasons:

1. Its rapid implementation.

2. Ease of understanding and use.

3. Its efficiency. It allows to deliver and focus on the result, in several languages, at a lower investment.